That Nostalgic Scent
by eviternovices
Summary: Starting in Ch. 60 of the manga, this touches on what might have happened if things had gone a little differently that day. Chapters switch from one POV to the next, so first few are fairly short. Switched to M with release of Ch. 8.
1. Chapter 1: Yuuki

**Notes on this story/chapter: **Much of content of the first part of it is based directly on what happened in part of chapter 60 (meaning a lot of the dialogue at the beginning is taken from the manga and not anything that I came up with), however it will begin to change to how I would have liked it to play out. I will also be including references from other parts of the manga throughout the story. Ask me in PM's or reviews if you want to know which chapters I reference. I will try to keep everyone as in character as possible, with the exception of course being that this will be based on how I believe they would act in the situations that come up later on in the story. And, as noted in the summary, each chapter switches from the POV (point of view) of one character to the next and will probably be fairly short. I will include the name of the person whose point of view it is currently from in the chapter name (for example, this chapter is from Yuuki's point of view). I hope you enjoy and please review if you liked it, you have any constructive criticism, etc.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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'_An intensely nostalgic scent...'_

Yuuki breathed in slightly, still in a daze due to blood loss from the injury given to her by Touma not long before. She heard two men exchanging words but she was too dizzy to make out who the voices belonged to or what they were saying, barely aware of the manner in which she was being escorted, all the while taking in the scent. The familiarity of it further blurred her thoughts, a feeling of comfort suddenly coming over her due to this presence, memories from the past few years flooding her. The fog in her mind slowly lifted as the days events came back to her and she chastised herself: '_I'm truly an idiot... I can't believe that all I found to say was "Good evening". Seriously...'_

The rocking seemed to stop moments later and her eyes opened just enough to look down. Two feet stood on a wooden floor and she realized she was being carried over the shoulder of that oh-so-familiar presence. '_Ah... the nostalgic scent... it's.. so close...'. _With this thought, she placed her hands on her escort's shoulders, pressing upwards slowly, her focus on the pulsing of the blood that smelled so familiar. He stiffened slightly as she lifted herself up but she paid no mind, lost in the scent of the blood pumping so close to her. The fingers of her left hand brushed back the hair that acted as a protective veil to the sweet, soft flesh of his neck, her right hand still on his shoulder.

She inhaled deeply as her head turned towards him, the sound of his blood filling her ears. This yearning was almost unbearable. Her tongue ran across the skin of his neck, tasting the salt of his sweat. The vampire inside was her screaming from the desire to taste the sweetness of his blood. Her resolve began to slip, the aching to pierce the soft flesh that her lips now brushed against beginning to take over. Her breathing grew heavier and she felt she couldn't take it any longer, the temptation was too strong and the blood loss had greatly increased her hunger for blood, _'Especially this blood...'_

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Again, short chapter, but that's because I will be switching to Zero's point of view in the next one. Hope you're enjoying it so far!


	2. Chapter 2: Zero

**Notes on Chapter:** So this chapter is from Zero's POV and the next will be Yuuki's, then Zero's again, rinse and repeat. This chapter is still mostly based off the dialogue of chapter 60 the manga, with details and thoughts added in.

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Zero stiffened as he felt Yuuki stir and lift herself from his shoulder, emotions flooding over him for the hundredth time since he had first run into her after visiting his family's graves. It had been bad enough the sorrow he'd felt when talking to Ichiru, running into Yuuki was like pouring salt on several open wounds. In that moment he'd experienced a wave of emotions: anger, despair, longing, even a tinge of happiness but that was all soon pushed away when he realized she'd been injured. The rage had not been visible to others but was very much there when he saw the wound in her chest. It took a great bit of willpower to remain straight faced. Inside a part of him felt he should turn away before he was noticed, but the wave of emotion mixed with the scent of that blood he'd tasted on a number of occasions prevented him from doing so.

Now, the girl who'd broken his heart was resting on his shoulder, her blood soaking into his coat. The scent of it was almost maddening, and he felt his yearning to taste her again rising from the depths he'd buried it in a year ago. _'Yuuki...' _ He wanted nothing more than to embrace her and bury his face in her hair, to kiss her and pierce that soft, fragile flesh with his horrid fangs, to endulge in the drug that was her deliciously sweet blood.

His hair was now pushed back by her hand and he returned from his thoughts, well aware of what would be going through the injured pureblood's mind at this moment, how badly she would thirst for blood after losing a fair amount of her own. His eyes narrowed as he felt her lips brushing his neck, her tongue tracing the artery pulsing below the skin. He wanted to shiver and moan, but refused to give in. This reaction was only natural for Zero, knowing he'd never forgive himself if he was to get lost in her again, the girl who had deceived him into believing she was human, and instead was a filthy pureblood all along. The only thing for him to do was to keep a cold exterior and continue to suppress the pain, despair, and longing he was feeling now for this girl was no longer the human he loved, but instead the very sort of being that had taken his own humanity from him years before.

'_But Yuuki is still Yuuki...'_

The image of the cheerful, smiling Yuuki who had helped protect the school flashed through his mind, further mixing his feelings. Those memories that always failed to keep their distance from his thoughts forced their way in: her smile, her laughter, that look of concern and guilt she'd had when she learned he'd been a vampire all along and she never knew his pain. Sweet, loving, selfless Yuuki, who had always given herself to him when he needed it, and who now desperately needed blood to replace that which she'd lost. A part of him wanted to allow her to taste him, knowing that the sensation of _her_ fangs piercing his skin would be intoxicating. His thoughts became blurred as this idea crossed his mind, now caught in inner conflict between wanting to keep his cold appearance and wanting to give in to her. He could sense her hesitation as her fangs brushed his skin. He narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze towards her, body still stiff and watched as she pulled her head back slightly. Glancing at him nervously, she forced a small smile, as if she had suddenly grasped the reality of what was happening.

"Ah... changed your mind, didn't you...? Well, you just barely escaped dying," Zero said, forcing himself to put on his cold shell once again. He saw her look change to that of sudden shock, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Put me on the ground..." she said quietly.

"If you can stand by yourself..." he added after a pause.

"I can... thank you..." she quickly responded, almost interrupting him.

He gently lowered her, letting her regain her balance as her feet touched the floor, his arm loosening on her waist. She took a few steps backward, looking up at him as she did so. He could tell from her expression that she wanted to say something, but was holding herself back.

"I'm sorry..." Her words were quiet, and he felt her gaze on him as he lowered his.

"No..." he began to say, but was interrupted as the glass of the window in the room shattered suddenly. He looked in the direction it came from, startled, noticing Yuuki's worried reaction to the loud sound, and saw the figure of what looked like a bat take off from outside.


	3. Chapter 3: Yuuki

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Yuuki flinched as she heard the glass shatter, realizing when she saw the figure of a bat flying off that Kaname had been watching. Aidou burst through the door. "What happened!" he demanded, noticing the glass covering the floor by the window. "The glass just shattered," Zero responded, waving his hand at Aidou as if nothing had happened, expression still cold. "Nothing to worry about, just continue keeping watch". Aidou pursed his lips for a moment, not seeming to like the idea of Zero even remotely ordering him to do anything, but Yuuki gave him a weak smile of reassurance and he nodded, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Her thoughts went back to the bat from before. _'I'm sure that seeing me almost bite Zero must have upset Kaname...' _She worried about what Kaname must have thought of the scene, and knew she needed to try and get herself out of the situation, yet something was preventing her from being able to do so. She glanced at Zero, trying to find the words to say, only silence coming from her mouth as she opened it. She wanted to tell him that all this time she'd missed him dearly, that not a day had gone by that she didn't see his face, that she could still feel his lips on hers when he'd kissed her before they'd parted ways.

The thought of the kiss made her blush slightly, and she noticed Zero's expression waver for a moment when he saw her face turn pink, his cold exterior very briefly cracking, a hint of sadness in his lavender eyes. That brief second of him letting his barrier down caused her to think back to a day she couldn't wipe from her memory, that time where he'd let his walls down and told her how he felt in his own way: "_Yuuki, I... I only desired your blood, Yuuki..." _His words from that day echoed in her mind. She shuddered and touched her fingers to her lips, her eyes almost closing as she remembered the feeling of Zero's fangs buried in her neck, pulling her ever closer to him, then the warmth of his lips pressed against hers, blood still dripping from them.

'_Those words, that kiss...'_

What he'd said to her then had forced her to finally acknowledge how he felt, something she'd been denying all along, pretending he thought of her as something like a younger sister, even when she was freely giving him her blood. She'd felt so naive after hearing that. His kiss had been intense yet gentle, and the way he'd pressed his forehead to hers, cradling her head in his hands, as if he was trying to erase the truth he wanted so desperately to deny. She'd lied to him, then when told him she was "_rid of all her worries and fears"_. It wasn't at all true because since that day, she'd worried for him, longed for him, loved him... Then again, she'd loved him all along and just didn't want to acknowledge it. Yes, she'd been torn between loving two men and having to hurt one of them. Zero had unfortunately gotten the bad end of that stick.

She felt Zero's eyes on her, causing her to realize she'd been lost in her thoughts for some time now. Her eyes opened and she was met with his gaze again. His expression was still cold, his body still stiff as it had been before, yet she knew he could feel what it was she'd been thinking. They stood in silence for several minutes that felt like years, staring at each other, his expression slowly softening. She was the first to try and break the silence.

"Zero, I..." It was a failed attempt and her gaze shifted away from him, grabbing one arm with the other nervously, suddenly feeling like she was in high school again, then flinching as she remembered the wound in her chest. It seemed it had barely healed at all, slowed greatly because of the loss of blood she'd suffered. She watched as he looked down at the blood on his jacket, then took it off and hung it up on a hook, his back turned towards her. He paused, then turned around, his gaze downward, eyes covered by his long, silver bangs. There was an aura of sadness emanating from him. She took a step towards him, paused, then took another step. A slight wave of dizziness overcame her as she walked towards him, causing her to lose her footing and stumble forward right into him.

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As you can see, this is the chapter where I finally started curving away from the manga and writing it along the lines of what myself, and I'm sure many other Zeki fans, would have liked to happen. I hope you're enjoying it so far, even though the chapters are a bit short. Chapter 4 should be coming soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Zero

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Zero caught Yuuki as she stumbled into him, allowing worry to show on his face as hers was buried in his shirt, knowing she would be unable to see his concern. "Yuuki..." he mouthed out, not wanting her to hear the strain in his voice. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up this act. Her hand grasped his arm as she inhaled deeply for a moment. Her eyes then shifted up towards his, looking heavy. He could tell she was feeling weak as she struggled to stand, using him to support her.

They locked gazes, their faces only inches away, neither of them saying a word, Yuuki still gripping his shirt as though she was afraid she'd fall again if she didn't. She put her hands up to his face, their eyes never leaving the other's and he slowly loosened up, leaning closer to her. Soft hands now rested on his cheeks, those large, reddish-brown eyes so close to his. He could almost taste her lips, lightly biting his own in restrain. Her hands went from his face to the back of his neck as she wrapped her arms around him, now looking as though she were in a daze. He told himself to prepare to retaliate for her eyes were glowing slightly, but found instead that he was unable to look away from her, drowning in those red orbs. He could feel her yearning for his blood as it resonated with his own desire to drink from her. Her grip on him tightened causing his heart to race, her gaze no longer on his eyes, focusing on that beautiful, pulsing artery that was so very close to her lips. He watched as her eyes fogged over, the vampire side of her beating down the fragile walls suppressing the unbearable desire to completely devour him.

'_I need to stop this...'_ Zero thought, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold back for much longer. Her grip didn't loosen in the slightest when he took a step back, a weak attempt at trying to snap her out of this blood lust that was very visibly taking over. The hunter in him thought to reach for his Bloody Rose. _'But I want it...'_ his vampire side and love for her argued, '_Besides, she needs it, look at how weak she's become from her injury...'_ He shook his head and started to raise his arms towards the vampire now licking his neck, aiming to push her away. This wasn't right, it went against everything he was and he knew nothing good could come of it. '_Or could it? This is still Yuuki...'_

A feeling of shame washed over him as he realized just what he was thinking. He had vowed that night over a year ago that he would kill all of the purebloods, including her, yet here he was unable to even remove her from him, his arms frozen in place. All he had managed to do was rest his hands on her sides rather than push her away as he should have. He felt incredibly weak-willed and cursed himself for it. '_And you call yourself a hunter, Kiryuu...'_

Yuuki's fangs were now fully extended, so close to his neck as he was in his daze, too caught up in his inner conflict. He broke from his thoughts and felt her lick his neck again, her lips brushing the spot where his blood was pumping, her eyes now fully aglow. One of her hands was in his hair, the other gripped the back of his shirt. He closed his eyes, feeling defeated. He couldn't tell her no, not her, not his Yuuki. '_But she isn't _my_ Yuuki, she "belongs" to that bastard Kuran!' _ he yelled inwardly at himself. Then his breath caught in his throat, eyes widening for a second and he fell back into the wall, wrapping his arms around the girl whose fangs were now buried in his neck. A moan escaped his lips. "Yu...Yuuki..."

Deep inside, he felt disgusted with himself, for after the slight pain of pin pricks subsided, all he felt was ecstasy. He was too lost in the sensation to care just how much blood was escaping from the wound on his neck as she drank in small gulps. It was intoxicating, losing himself to her in a fashion that was new to him. The only one who had ever drank his blood was Shizuka, and that had been a humiliating experience, nothing like this. He slowly slid down the wall, legs becoming weak. Yuuki shrank down with him as she kept her lips locked on the two deep holes in his neck. He could hear her drinking his blood, could sense the hold the vampire in her had at this moment.

His body betrayed him further as one of his hands cradled the back of her head, gently grabbing a handful of her hair as she drank, his other arm still wrapped around her tightly, thoughts becoming nothing but a giant blur. '_So this is what it feels like to have the one you love drink your blood...'_ He wondered how she'd felt all those times he'd done this to her. Did it feel like this? Or did it feel the way it had when Shizuka had forcefully fed on him? He prayed it wasn't the latter, hoped that maybe she shared this feeling he now had as she drank in his thoughts with every drop of blood.

'_Do you understand what it is I feel for you, my dearest Yuuki...?'_

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Oh, Zero, if only you knew. Please review if you are enjoying it or have any bits of constructive criticism, etc. to share!_  
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	5. Chapter 5: Yuuki

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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The two now sat on the floor; Zero with his back slumped against the wall and legs stretched out in front of him, Yuuki straddling his lap, her face buried in his neck.

'_Yuuki...  
Yuuki...  
Yuuki...!'_

Zero's thoughts invaded her mind as his blood poured into her mouth, the passion of what he felt so intense that she was afraid it would consume her. Memories of times at the academy flooded her mind, but this time they were from his point of view, and she could feel everything he'd felt, hear all of his thoughts in those moments. She saw from his eyes the day he first bit her. The burning inside of him was overwhelming, his throat dry, his hunger staggering. There was his need for blood that was so strong it had caused him to lose control of himself and bite her as roughly as he did. Then the complete and utter shame he'd felt when he looked at her and realized what he'd done. She felt his inner loathing, heard his thoughts, '_What have I done...?' _Kaname's discovery of the scene only made everything worse, the last person he'd wanted to see what he'd done was the man that Yuuki held so high above everyone else, and this amplified his despair by volumes.

This certain memory began to fade as another took it's place. She was now seeing the time when she had walked in on Zero with the Bloody Rose to his head. She felt the hatred and contempt that he'd had for himself, making her heart ache even more for him. There was his feeling of surprise as she burst through the door, yelling then jumping at him, only to be flipped over onto the bed. His emotions were mixed: there was the seething hatred for himself as well as the desire embrace her, to again taste her warm blood, and frustration at having been caught followed by a very small feeling of relief that she'd interrupted him. Yuuki felt her face flush, experiencing his other less honorable feelings as he looked down at her pinned to the bed. '_Zero, you pervert!'_ she exclaimed to herself, trying to shake off the fact that his more "imaginative" thoughts had actually excited her a little bit.

The day she always saw in her dreams, when Zero had killed Rido and she was to leave with Kaname, now flashed through her mind. Not only did she hear the words he said to her that day where he'd confessed he longed only for her blood, but she now felt the passion and heart ache behind it all. The pain he'd felt as he'd kissed her so deeply then held her in his hands was silently wracking his body, causing a tear slide down her cheek as she experienced the emotion of them both rolled into one. He'd been so lonely after she left, taking it out on the vampires he hunted every night but unable to quench his thirst, consumed by hatred and despair.

Those days faded into the memory of the ball where they met again for the first time in over a year. She felt his heart break again as he watched her enter the ballroom, hand in hand with Kaname. She remembered the cold expression he'd given her in an attempt to make her think he no longer cared, yet now she could feel just how much he missed her, the pain he wanted to suppress just long enough to make it back to his room where he could brood in private. When she'd touched his arm, pleading for him to let go of Sara, he'd made it seem he was disgusted, when in reality he'd ached to hold that hand against his cheek and gently kiss it, to tell her of how he missed her and that the school just wasn't the same without her smile, that he thirsted for her constantly...

As the memories flooded into her, she felt herself sinking into him.

"Yuu... ki..."

The sound of him choking out her name again suddenly snapped her back to reality. She pulled her mouth from the wound, wiping it with her arm and turning her gaze towards him. His eyes were mostly closed and almost fogged over, his face tilted away from hers. His breathing was heavy and staggered, causing her to worry that she'd taken too much. She looked at the wound on his neck and gasped: she had missed a lot of his blood which had been wasted, soaked into his shirt. "Zero, oh god, I didn't mean to..."

She watched as he turned his head towards her, locking eyes with her again, not hesitating this time to put his face right up to hers. She grew nervous, recalling how Zero had said earlier that she'd "barely escaped death" when she had almost bitten him then, hoping that she would be able to avoid that fate even though she'd gone through with it. He slowly stood and she flinched as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him. He put his arms around her, lifted her just off the floor, and moved towards the bed. He then laid her down on her back, legs bent over the side of the bed, just like the day she stopped him when she found him with the Bloody Rose to his head. She met his eyes with hers, unsure of what he was planning. His expression was that of hatred for a second, then softened as he removed his shirt, now soaked in blood, and tossed it to the side. She was positive that for a moment she saw a hint of tears in his eyes as he'd looked away. He now laid over her, her wrists pinned by his hands on either side of her, his face inches away from hers. Her thoughts raced as she tried to read what was going through that mind of his.

Slowly his face came closer to hers until their lips were barely touching. Her heart was now pounding as his expression gave no hint at what he had in mind and she grew nervous. Had she angered him further? '_What if he was serious when he said he'd kill me?' _Several minutes passed and neither of them had moved an inch, Zero's expression unwavering, though Yuuki's grew more and more towards that of deep concern. Then, when she felt as if his gaze would drill a hole through her, he leaned forward and took her lips in a kiss.

'_Zero...!' _Yuuki's eyes widened as she searched her thoughts for a proper way to react. This kiss was as intense as the other had been, yet something was different...

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I wonder what is going through that mind of his? I suppose you'll have to wait until chapter 6 to find out his point of view and what he is thinking.

Also, as a special little treat, I drew up a quick picture of the scene at the beginning of this chapter. Nothing special, but perhaps my fellow Zeki fans will appreciate it :) It's on my deviant art account eviternovices. deviantart. com in my gallery. The title of the picture is "Bloody Embrace"

Please review, it's much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6: Zero

**Author's Notes: **So, I'm really happy with the reviews and favorites I've gotten thus far considering I very recently published this fic, thank you all who have given your feedback :D For those of you who may not have seen it, at the end of the last chapter I added in a bit about an image I drew from the scene at the beginning of chapter 5, just go read the notes at the end of it. This is my longest chapter so far, hopefully you will all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Zero basked in the taste of Yuuki's lips, overwhelmed by the passion that had been forced to lay dormant within him for so long. He deepened the kiss, his left arm leaving her wrist and wrapping around her, pulling her body tightly into his. He had tried to contain himself but could take it no longer. This craving was too strong, this yearning too painful to stand anymore. All he wanted in this moment, no, all he'd wanted for the past two years, was to completely lose himself in her.

He stopped the kiss for a moment to nibble on her bottom lip, making sure to lick the blood from where his fang lightly pierced it, then kissed her again. She let out a short whimper. He was well aware that she'd be worrying about how Kaname would react to this, even worse if he knew of it already, yet surprisingly after a few moments of hesitation, she gave in and returned the kiss. This only sent Zero spiraling deeper into the black hole of desire he'd been feeling since he saw her in the graveyard earlier that evening.

The room was pulsing with an aura of long suppressed passion, two vampires who had been denied their longing for each other intoxicated by the love and lust they had felt for so long. He let out a moan, pressure rising within him, aching to taste her. He let his lips brush against hers as he whispered the words he'd said that day over a year before, "Yuuki, I only desired your blood...". He trailed off, his thoughts finishing the sentence for him: '_I only desired you, nothing and no one but _you...'

He was unable to find even a hint fear in her eyes this time, as if she'd been waiting to hear those words again. She ran her hands through his silver hair, staring into his lavender eyes once more and he trembled, eyes closing, pressing his head into those soft hands. He felt her pull one hand away and he opened his eyes to see it in front of his lips. His mouth opened slightly as her fingers brushed against it, his gaze returning to her. His teeth lightly grazed one of her fingers and he gently bit down, pricking it, causing her to flinch and pull her hand back. He caught the finger with his lips, her blood touching his tongue, the taste of it awakening that burning inside of him and his eyes began to glow red, still staring into hers.

His fingers dug into her back as he pulled her closer to him, his vampire side wide awake, overcome by blood lust. "Sweet Yuuki..." he groaned, his voice husky, pulling her wrist to him with his right hand. His eyes narrowed as he held the wrist to his mouth and licked it slowly, further igniting the fire within him. The girl beneath him was trembling, though he couldn't tell whether it was from fear or anticipation. It only made him want her more. He trailed a few kisses along her wrist, trying to calm her, then when it seemed she'd relaxed, he bit down. He heard her quietly yelp in surprise at the sudden pain, her back arching as she gripped the sheets of the bed.

The sound of her blood coursing into him as his fangs pierced her flesh almost drove him into madness. It felt like a lifetime had passed since he'd last tasted it, and his body quivered in pure delight. He made sure not to miss single drop, this crimson liquid all too precious to let any of it go to waste. They were both losing themselves in the moment, Yuuki squirming in delight as Zero drank from her, indulging himself in this fine delicacy.

It was his turn to be flooded with her thoughts, memories, and emotions, something he used to experience when he would drink from her at the academy. Images of familiar days long past flashed in his mind, days that he wished so desperately to return to, when this girl he loved was still human. The times at the academy passed and he found himself watching as he'd pulled her to him after the short fight with Kaname and confessed his feelings too her, the sensation of shock she'd felt in that embrace, at hearing his words, filling him now. The bite followed by the kiss had thrown her into bouts of confusion and mixed feelings. When he'd told her they would be enemies from that point on, her heart wrenched. "_I don-... don't wanna be en... enemies with you...! Was there no... no other solution than this one...?"_ he heard her sob as she fell to her knees after they'd parted ways. He then saw her eyes widen as she thought back to the kiss, realizing just what it was he'd been trying to communicate to her.

One memory melted into the next, and he watched as she lived her life throughout that long year they'd been apart. He was angered when he learned that Kaname had kept her locked up inside the mansion as he felt just how lonely she was whenever her brother was away, and surprised to find that it wasn't always her fiance that she missed in those lonely days. He saw Kaname kiss her hand in front of a large door engraved with a strange symbol, surrounded by brick walls. There was noticeable pain in the pureblood's eyes as he spoke to the girl in front of him, "_A vampire's thirst can only be quenched by the blood of their loved one... Do you remember that?" _he'd asked her. "_Yes..." _she'd quietly responded, averting her gaze downward, "_That's why my thirst... can't really be quenched exactly all the way, because even now, there's one chunk of my heart that's still attached to a link I can't cut..."_ Tears formed in her eyes as she looked back up at Kaname, "_one chunk of it is still attached to Zero... so..."_

Zero gasped, quickly pulled himself away from her wrist and looked her straight in the eyes, a shiver running down his spine. "Yuuki, you... all along...?" he choked out. Her hands now cradled his face, gently stroking his cheek, her eyes sad yet loving. This time he was unable to fight it and a tear escaped, dripping onto her cheek, followed by another. She pulled his face to her then hugged him. He almost crushed her as he returned the embrace, trying his best to prevent himself from breaking down in front of her.

"Zero, I'm so sorry... Those four years we'd felt the same yet neither of us realized until it was too late," she whispered. His face was buried in her shoulder, silent tears pouring down it, both hands gripping the back of her shirt. "All along I'd been the one thing you hated, and even though I swore to protect you, always, I... I still left you alone... I didn't want to admit to myself that I needed you but it ate away at my heart every day, knowing that Kaname wasn't enough to satiate me..."

He pulled his head from her shoulder, hearing her sad words, tears still running down his cheek. His walls had all crumbled, he was completely vulnerable to her now, yet strangely he found that at this moment it didn't bother him in the slightest. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and it pained him even further to see her like that. "Do you know what it is you mean to me, Yuuki...?" he breathed out, a lump in his throat. She hesitated, then nodded slowly, wiping his tears away. He brushed his lips against hers lightly in an attempt to rid the room of the gloomy atmosphere, then laid on his side next to her.

She remained sitting up, her eyes downward, appearing to be lost in a plethora of thought. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto him, catching her off guard and she let out a small squeak in response. She was now straddling him again as he laid on his back, her head on his chest. His arms rested on her back and he breathed in the scent of her hair, the pheromones triggering another form of carnal need. Yes, he remembered, his blood lust had been satisfied, but that was not the only longing he had for this girl. He lifted her chin with one hand until their eyes met, his expression serious and unwavering. He could tell that seeing the look on his face made her nervous. "Zero...? Are you alright?" she asked, her voice concerned. He rephrased his question to her from before, "Do you know what it is you _do_ to me, Yuuki...?"

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Uh oh, I think Yuuki might be in for more than she realizes. Please review if you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7: Yuuki

**Author's Notes:** Sorry it took me a few months to get another chapter out, was busy with the holidays and life stuff and sadly was lacking in motivation. Fortunately, though, the happenings in recent manga chapters have me so fueled with hopes for Yuuki and Zero happenings that I just had to write some more. So here it is, shorter than the last few chapters, but that's because I want the next part to be from Zero's point of view. Hope everyone enjoys and please remember to review, the feedback is always nice :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Zero's words sent a shiver down Yuuki's spine. She could see the fire burning in his eyes and sense his thirst for something other than her blood. She tensed slightly, his current thoughts weren't her only cause for concern: what worried her most was that she shared his desire. The past year had been spent living with Kaname, her fiance from birth, trying to give off the air that she was happy even when he was away doing business. However Zero was always there, somewhere in her mind, whether it be during a tutoring session with Aidou or Ruka, a quiet moment with Kaname, a formal gathering with other vampires...

Her heart raced as he gently kissed her neck, his lips lingering there for a moment, then pulled away to look her in the eyes again. She felt his hand caress her face, his expression one she had never seen on him before.

"Yuuki."

This time he said her name without hesitation, the longing in his voice made well apparent. His hand left her face and he ran it through her long, brown hair, twirling a strand around his finger, enjoying the familiar softness of it. After a moment he brought it to the back of her head and, careful not to be too rough, grabbed a handful of her hair. The sensation triggered nerves that sent signals through her body, causing her to moan. She didn't even realize at first that one of her hands had left the bed and was now exploring, her fingers tracing lines across his chest and abdomen.

She felt Zero shiver, then finally noticed why. When she tried to pull her hand back, he stopped her by grasping it, the look on his face silently pleading for her to continue. She hesitated and looked down at his bare upper body. His shoulders were strong, his abs well defined, his bone structure perfect. She found herself unable to protest and began tracing his torso with her fingers again. His skin was soft, smooth, and damn near flawless due to his ability to heal quickly from the vampire blood coursing through him. In her mind she asked herself how, in all the years they'd lived together, she had never stopped to appreciate his form, then felt her cheeks flush as she envisioned just what might have happened between them if she had ever taken the time to do so.

Her face betrayed her. Zero had formed a mischievous smirk at seeing her cheeks redden and slowly began to sit up under her. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "It would seem I'm not the only one with less-than-honorable thoughts..." She tried to respond, but her breath caught in her throat when she felt the evidence of his want for her through his jeans. This caused the pureblood to turn several shades redder and realize that she had _never_ been in this situation before, if of course you didn't consider drinking a loved one's blood to be along the same lines.

She heard him chuckle, knowing he'd figured out that she could feel _him_, and the air of the room changed completely as he crushed his lips against hers and flipped her onto her back. He was now pressed against her completely, the two of them locked in a kiss like none she had ever had before. She was trembling now. '_What are you thinking, Yuuki! If Kaname knew...'_

She felt one of his legs make its way between hers as he grinded against her. His breath was ragged on her neck and he moaned her name again. This jolted her thinking from that of how Kaname would react to the feeling of the other man who loved her rocking against her now. Her body was responding to his, her desire for him screaming from within. This was the first time she had ever done anything like this, not even Kaname had lost it this way with her.

Hands now made their way over her stomach under her shirt, caressing, exploring, sending chills throughout her body. She responded by lightly running her nails over his back, resulting in a slight growl from him that alarmed her. _'Did I hurt him?'_ she worried. His body, however, said otherwise. Hers seemed to do the same. Never had she felt this pressure between her legs, it was different from thirsting for blood, less painful but just as overwhelming.

The rocking stopped and Zero pulled himself off her, looking down. "Oh the things I want to do to you", he said, his voice husky. "I just..." he trailed off as he looked away.

Yuuki looked up at him, confused. "You just...?" She watched as he closed his eyes tightly, looking as if he was in pain.

"I just don't want to be another regret," he forced out, still not meeting her gaze.

She grew a bit frustrated. "You go this far and then say you don't want me to regret anything..? For once, just.. don't hesitate, Zero, it should be obvious what I want".

He seemed surprised, then serious as he took in the meaning of her words. "I hope you know what it is you've gotten yourself into, my dear..."

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Oh what I wouldn't do to be her right now. Writing the next chapter should be fun :]

Also, I've been really trying to decide if I'm going to make this just about this whole scene, or if I'm going to turn it into an actual long fic involving the point of view of other characters and events that happen after (resulting from this scene, of course). Any and all feedback is appreciated, so review away!


	8. Chapter 8: Zero

**Author's Notes:** Yay, got this chapter out quite a bit faster than the last. Keep in mind, if the sentence in quotations is _italicized_, it means it's a thought and not actually being said aloud. The way I wrote some of the thoughts into the paragraphs might be a little confusing so I wanted to clear that up. Hope this chapter pleases the people who have been looking forward to it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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"I hope you know what it is you've gotten yourself into, my dear..." Zero said softly to the girl who lay under him. He searched her expression, trying to find anything hinting that she wasn't sure of herself, and was taken aback when he found none. _'This is really what she wants?'_ he silently asked himself as if he were the one with the answer. All he could find in those large, brown eyes of hers was... love. Now it was his turn to be afraid. He'd said that to her with such confidence, expecting it to cause her to have second thoughts, and she had deflected it without a moment's hesitation.

There was a puzzled look on her face and she cocked her head to the side, smiling softly. "It's okay, Zero", she assured him as she took his face into her hands and gently pulled it towards hers, "don't force yourself to do anything you don't want to." She placed a small kiss on the tip of his nose and his cheeks went warm as he flushed.

"It isn't that, Yuuki, it's..." he paused, _'it's just that I've never... done this, and...' _His expression changed to that of frustration as he finished his thought _'and I'm sure that you and Kuran have...'_ He clenched his fist and felt his eyes burn with forming tears again, causing Yuuki to be very confused.

"Zero, what is it?" she asked, concern in her voice, slowly sitting up under him.

He took a moment to think, then looked at her and sighed. "This will be my first time and, in the past year... I'm sure that you... with him-" He was unable to finish the sentence, feeling foolish for not having thought of this before. '_Of course, after this is all said and done, nothing will have changed, she's still with _him!'

It was Yuuki's turn to show her frustration. "Damnit, Zero, I can't believe you didn't realize it when you drank my blood. Kaname and I.. we never did.. _that_. We never did _this_. He's always been sweet and kind and loving to me, but we've never had anything like this..." She seemed saddened by her own words, and now he felt even more foolish, forcing a smile while silently chastising himself.

"I'm sorry," he said as he pulled her into an embrace. "You worry too much, as you always have. Still the Zero I remember," she replied, burying her face in his chest. The two held each other for a while, enjoying the feel of the other's warmth. He closed his eyes tightly, remembering that the last time he'd held her was when they'd said their goodbye and she left the academy with Kaname, causing a small knot to form in his chest.

"I've missed you..." he said, breaking the silence. "The school hasn't been the same.." She looked up at him with that same familiar smile that made his heart ache and put a finger to his lips, then pulled away from him, backing closer to the pillows on the bed. Her hand extended out to him and he took it, letting her guide him to lay next to her. She placed his hand on her waist, then wrapped her arms around his neck as they both lay on their sides in front of each other.

He closed his eyes as her lips met his and they kissed, this time very gently. The hand that had been placed on her waist now traveled across her back under her shirt, his other arm wrapped around her. He felt her moving as they kissed, pulled back to see that she had been gradually removing her shirt, and was speechless as he gazed at her. She made her way off the bed, discarding the rest of her clothes, until she stood facing him in her under garments. He could tell she was getting a bit self conscious when she looked downward as he took in every aspect of her form.

"You're beautiful.." he whispered reassuringly, making his way off the bed to meet her, pausing a moment, then pulling her to him. He kissed the top of her head, tilting it up as he did so, then placed a gentle peck on her lips, following down to her neck where he placed a very small love bite that resulted in a squeak from her. He looked down at her and smiled, a real smile, not like the scoffs or smirks or sarcastic grins he'd given her in the past. _'Who is this man, Kiryuu..? It couldn't possibly be you..'_ he thought to himself, realizing that no one had ever seen this side of him before because it had never once surfaced.

Those large brown eyes he'd become so fond of now stared into his. Nervousness shown in them, but he was sure that she could see the same in his. His yearning for her was building up again as he felt her skin against his, breathed in the pheromones from her hair, smelled her familiar scent. He hesitated, then took one of her hands and placed it over his jeans where his aching for her could be felt, and watched as her eyes widened and her face turned red again.

"I want you, Yuuki.." he whispered to her, groaning when he noticed she hadn't removed her hand. His tolerance was wavering and he decided to try and take some initiative as she had before, letting his hands wander over her stomach and down slowly, over the soft cotton fabric, heading to the place between her thighs. He heard her gasp and bit his lip as he felt the moisture that had seeped into the fabric.

"Zero," she breathed as his fingers lightly grazed her. There was yearning in her eyes as he continued to caress her, enjoying the tiny moans she was making. Soon he felt he couldn't take anymore, so he turned and pulled the blanket on the bed back, then let his arm slide behind her legs and picked her up, his other behind her. He laid her on the sheets, placing himself next to her. Her eyes never left his as he pulled his jeans off, concealing himself under the blanket.

"This is really what you want..?" he asked her, hoping to once again see no sign of hesitation. She nodded, and he could feel her shaking. No matter how sure she was of her decision, they would still both be incredibly nervous. His heart was pounding in his chest as he very gently removed the rest of her undergarments, once again admiring her, then placed himself above her. He looked into her eyes as she nodded again, her hand caressing his cheek, and positioned himself.

"_Never did I imagine I would ever find myself with you like this.." _he thought, trying to force out every bit of hesitation and shake off the nerves.

They laid there for a moment, gazes locked. Zero felt as if time had stopped for the two of them, wishing that it would stay frozen. He kissed her, then after he felt her arms envelop him, he pushed into her, exhaling deeply at the new sensation. She cringed and he knew that it would hurt for her at first, so he was sure to be as slow and gentle as he could be. Soon the pain seemed to stop and the two found themselves immersed in the other, moving in perfect rhythm. He was trembling from pleasure and pent up longing, leaving small kisses on her lips, cheeks, neck shoulder, wherever he could reach.

He was unaware of how much time had passed when he felt Yuuki's back arch under him and heard her cry out, shuddering from feeling release for the first time. He followed suit shortly after and soon they both laid wrapped in the other's arms, spent and gasping for air. His head rested on her breast, the fingers of one hand entwined with hers and the other playing with her soft hair.

They laid in silence for what felt like hours, savoring the moment. He tried as hard as he could not to think about it, but the phrase still ran through his mind: '_What happens now?_'

* * *

From the very few people who have responded to my question last chapter about whether I should make it a long fic or leave it at this: they said they want a long fic with other peoples' points of view. SO, it will take a bit of thinking and planning, but I will probably be trying to make this a longer fic. The next chapter I'm thinking will be from another person's PoV and probably be short, just to introduce the idea of adding other people into it. Now the brain storming will need to commence. I have a few ideas in mind but nothing solid or organized.

Please please please review, even if you don't like it, I could really use more opinions :)


	9. Chapter 9: Aidou

**Author's Notes:** As mentioned in the notes at the end of the last chapter, this one is going to be from a different character's point of view: Aidou. He was keeping watch right outside the door of the room Yuuki and Zero were in, so what's going on from his end? This chapter is a bit shorter than the last few.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Aidou shut the door behind him after running in to check and find out what had caused the shattering noise he'd heard. He'd found it strange that even though a window had clearly been broken, Zero and Yuuki brushed it off as if nothing had happened, and he definitely didn't appreciate the way Zero had seemed to order him around. On top of that, the atmosphere of the room had been noticably... uncomfortable, if that was the word for it, though honestly that was to be expected due to how long it had been since the two old "friends" had last seen each other. He'd sensed that something was up, but he knew that so long as Yuuki wasn't in danger, he had no place stepping into her personal matters seeing as she was a pureblood. So, like a good friend, servant, and noble vampire, he'd left them alone.

He now sat on the floor by the door to the room they were in, arms and legs crossed, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on. He heard no raised voices and still sensed no danger, so he reassured himself that everything was fine and he was just being over protective of the pureblood princess. '_No need to worry so much, Aidou. Besides, Zero can say all he wants that he'd kill her but he's not fooling anyone.'_ He was left alone to his thoughts, everything silent other than the occasional hunter passing by. Sometimes they'd stop and look at him funny, perhaps wondering why a noble vampire was inside a hunters' headquarters, but then they seemed to shrug it off and go on their way.

A while passed, though how long he was unsure of, when he smelled the scent of blood. Alarmed, he paused a moment to identify whether it was Yuuki's and was relieved when it was not, then realized that blood had still been shed and this probably wasn't a good thing. The scent was familiar, however, so he continued to try and recall where he'd smelled it before. Then it hit him: '_Of course! Yuuki was incredibly weak, so she'd have definitely been thirsty...'_' His thought trailed off as he realized that this fact probably wouldn't sit well with Kaname and his stomach turned at the hope that he wouldn't blame him for this whole mess. He silently cursed the girl in the other room for dragging him into such a situation, and even more so for drinking from someone other than her beloved brother. Then he remembered his frustration was futile because, as mentioned before, he had to let Yuuki do as she so pleased.

He sang songs in his head, trying to think of anything other than the scent of Zero's blood in the air. He seemed to have finally started to calm down when he was, yet again, struck with a sense of alarm. Now a scent he knew all too well took the place of the previous: Yuuki's blood. Shooting up from where he'd been sitting, Aidou was ready to knock in the door when he stopped, pressing his ear against the wood. There was no sound of fear or pain coming from the other side. In fact, what he heard completely threw him off, and he covered his mouth with one hand in shock. '_Did I really just hear her moan! She's in there letting someone other than Kaname-sama drink her pure blood, and she's _enjoying _it?'_ He didn't know whether to be confused or appalled by the whole thing. Unsure of what to do, and knowing that she still wasn't in any danger, he decided to wait and just listen despite his urge to barge in on the two and demand for her to head home to her brother. So that's exactly what he did.

He stood there through the silence as Zero drank her blood, then listened as he heard the hunter choke back tears at the realization that his "adopted sister" had feelings for him all along, and Yuuki's apology to him for not keeping her promise and staying to protect him. Aidou was shocked and yet not surprised by this revelation. It would certainly explain the moaning he'd heard earlier.

Lost in thought on the girl's feelings for both her brother and the young hunter, Aidou failed to hear Zero's question: "Do you know what it is you do to me, Yuuki..?", and the minutes turned into an hour when he was finally snapped out of his daze by thudding coming from the other room. Puzzled, he continued to listen, picking up other sounds along with the thudding. Gradually his face turned several shades of red. He covered his ears, shaking his head and closed his eyes when he identified the source of the thudding, as well as moaning, bed creaking, and the sound of a girl crying out followed shortly by that of a man crying out as well.

Fury washed through the noble as he went back to his original sitting position, this time his fingers plugging his ears in a desperate attempt to drown out anything he'd just heard. _'Drinking each other's blood is one thing, but.. but _this_!_' He was taken completely aback, and just hoped that Kaname would take this whole situation a lot better than he had a feeling he would.

'_Yuuki, just what is it you've gotten yourself into?'_

_

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_Short and not as exciting, I know, but if I'm to have other characters' points of view, they can't all be about Zero and Yuuki :( Also I'm sure it was a bit of a teaser to the people waiting to see what is going on inside that room after chapter eight's scene. Don't fret, however, because next chapter will pickup from where last left off!

As always, PLEASE PLEASE review, I really appreciate any and all feedback :)


	10. Chapter 10: Yuuki

**Author's Notes: **Hope you guys enjoyed the little bit of humor I tried to throw in with Aidou's PoV from the last chapter. I felt it necessary considering I doubt he would have been standing guard and not have noticed anything that was happening. Anywho, back to Yuuki's PoV.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

Yuuki now lay on her back, hair sprawled out messily across the pillow that her head rested on. She was running one of her hands through Zero's silver hair, whose face was nuzzled in her neck, his arms wrapped around her. Her eyes were closed, her lips curved into a soft smile as she replayed the events of the last hour in her head. Warmth filled her, from the tips of her fingers down to her toes. She sighed, not from frustration but from having felt complete release and comfort, nothing she'd ever known before. What pleased her even more was that she'd been able to share it with someone she held very dear, and she knew he felt the same. Her heart was at ease, her mind at peace in this warm moment.

Neither spoke a word for a while. Zero's silence eventually began to bother her, but at the same time she was relieved because it occurred to her that he was either lost in happy thoughts, or he was trying to figure out if and what this all meant, and his questions would only lead to more confusion. That was the problem, after it was all said and done, she wasn't sure what any of this meant.

As her thoughts shifted from those of utter bliss to ones of concern, they became scattered and her heart torn. Of course, coming back down to reality, she knew that there was someone she was supposed to go home to and that man was not the one who she had just made love to for the first time. Her heart sank, but she refused to let her expression waver as Zero slowly lifted himself to look at her. She could practically hear the gears in his head creaking as they turned, searching his eyes as he continued his silence in an attempt to discover what was running through his mind.

She couldn't stand the discomfort she was starting to feel at not knowing what he was thinking, so she broke the tension by gently kissing him. The gesture seemed to be a success as Zero immediately closed his eyes, deepening the kiss. She felt relieved at this, and hoped it would be enough of a distraction to keep him from potentially souring the sweetness of the evening. At first his lips refused to leave hers, causing her to smile when he finally forced himself away so that they could actually breathe. '_Why can't things be easier..?_' She loved this man a great deal, and the thought of possibly having to leave, or worse, lose him again wracked at her heart.

Kaname was extremely important to her as well, and of course she couldn't have them both in her life. It was as if she were back to that day over a year ago where she'd told Zero goodbye, except this time, she couldn't do it.

Yuuki pulled herself from her painful thoughts only to find that Zero had dozed off next to her, one of his hands entwined with hers. His expression was peaceful and she admired just how beautiful he was, wishing she'd noticed all those years they'd been together. She'd been too busy fawning over Kaname to even realize her own feelings for her adopted brother.

Then suddenly, it hit her. What would she tell Kaname? How would he react to this if he told her? If she decided to keep it from him, would he find out anyway? She shook her head at herself. '_There's no way I could keep this from him, even if I wanted to, he might see it in my memories when drinking from me...'_ A sudden feeling of panic washed over her. This had been what she wanted, she didn't regret what she did with Zero in the slightest, the repercussions of the whole ordeal had just failed to cross her mind until now. Her chest tightened and she held back tears. Her elder brother was so unpredictable at times. For all she knew he'd do anything ranging from forcing her to stay in the mansion unless she were leaving with him, asking for her to kill him again, or going after Zero. That last thought was too much for her to bear, she'd rather die than have harm come to either of them, especially from the other's hand.

She sniffled as the tears quietly poured down her cheeks, and felt Zero stir. She looked over to him and saw his lilac eyes staring into hers, his face covered in concern. She quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile, but he had already seen all he needed to know that something was bothering her.

"What is it..?" he quietly asked her as he sat up and gazed at the wall. She shook her head in response, "It's nothing, don't worry yourself, I'm fine." She reached out to take his hand and he shrugged it away, still not looking at her. "You're a terrible liar," he whispered, pain in his voice, then made his way out of the bed towards his clothing on the floor.

"Zero, really, it's nothing. Please.." she begged, holding more tears back. She could feel what he was thinking, knew that he'd be under the impression she was crying because of what they'd done. "I should have stopped it, I knew.." he paused as he put on his jeans, "I knew you'd regret it in the end." She heard the frustration in his words, and the sadness in his tone that he failed to mask.

"No!" she exclaimed suddenly, getting off the bed in a hurry and wrapping her arms around him from behind. "It was.. it was perfect, Zero. I don't regret it, in fact I'm so happy that I was able to share that with you.."

He said nothing to her, instead turning towards her to meet her eyes. Their lips met again, then he kissed her cheek, following down to her neck. She was in a daze at the gentleness of his mouth trailing down until she felt the prick of him biting her and gasped, surprised. He drank only for a moment, then pulled back, licked the blood off her neck, and turned away to start getting dressed again. She stood there, confused. "What was that -" she started, but he cut her off.

"You weren't lieing about not regretting it, however it seems you're worried about what that bastard is going to do when he finds out. Always, _always_ he somehow ruins a perfect moment, whether he's actually present or not." There was venom in his voice as he finished that last sentence. "And of course, I'm sure his little princess who, although she doesn't regret what she did, will still go running back to him. I'm a _fool_..." He was clenching his fists, his face still turned away.

Tears again poured down her cheeks. "It's cruel of you to do such a thing to read my thoughts" she choked out, "though I guess I can't blame you. Zero, I... _I love you_," she watched him tense as he heard her speaks those words, still not turning to face her, "and the thought of ever losing you again is too much for me to handle. You must understand though the position I am in."

"I understand all too well, Yuuki." This time his voice was softer, "You love both Kuran and I." He turned to look at her finally, slowly making his way towards her. His forehead touched hers gently as his left hand brushed her cheek. His lips were so close to hers, his other hand grazing her chest, heading down her stomach slowly, causing her to shiver. "I know, though, that only one of us makes you feel like _this_," he breathed, referring to the chills he had just sent through her body, and the aching she felt between her thighs.

"If you go back to him, I.. I would like to be able to say that I won't be here waiting," his eyes were now downcast as he spoke, concealed by his long bangs, "but we both know what happened the last time I tried to make a claim like that. I just wish that in your heart you could be mine, _my _Yuuki, not this girl who can't choose. Either way my feelings for you will not change, no matter how much I try to harden my heart." She was shocked to hear him bear himself to her like this, knowing that it must have taken everything in him to admit to this weakness. "No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to deny the truth I saw when I drank from you. Your mouth can lie, but that cannot..." He trailed off. She lifted his chin with her hand to find several tears running down it, then hugged him tightly. They stood there holding each other, neither sure of what to say. She didn't want to let go, scared that if she did he might slip through her fingers again and disappear.

Time passed as both continued the embrace, not speaking a word. Yuuki's eyes opened, and she looked out the window to find that it was dark out and the moon was bright and beautiful. The tree outside rustled and moved in the wind. She had to squint slightly as she thought she saw a figure of an animal on it. A knot formed in her throat as her eyes widened. '_How did I not sense it!'_ she desperately asked herself as the small bat seemed to make eye contact with her, then flew off.

:o what's going to happen next?

PLEASE review, feedback is so so nice and there seems to be a great lack of it in comparison to the amount of readers I get coming through (though I do appreciate all readers as well!)


	11. Chapter 11: Kaname

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay, once again been busy with life. Second chapter that's from someone else's point of view (Kaname!). I hope I wrote his character well, really trying to keep everyone as in character as possible.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Kaname re-entered the giant door leading to the ancient chamber of the secluded mansion he shared with Yuuki. Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he sat himself down on the coffin he'd spent several thousand years sleeping and rotting in. He'd just returned from dealing with '_that brat of a pureblood, Touma.._' for injuring his beloved and worried for her. He knew she would be fine as she was a pureblood herself and therefore had the healing capabilities of one, however he was also aware that she had been carried off by Zero, Aidou following behind, and taken to the headquarters of the hunters' association. Not only did the way they might treat her concern him, but the fact that she was with that level D deeply bothered him. He knew of her feelings for the silver haired hunter.

His shadow followed her still in the shape of a bat, keeping a close eye, but was unable to enter into the association once they passed through the gates. Following the scent of her blood, he found that they had entered into a bedroom and perched himself on a branch outside of the window. He observed as Yuuki lifted herself from Zero's shoulder and gritted his teeth as she tilted her mouth towards his neck. Any vampire with the slightest bit of common sense knew that an injured vampire would be craving blood. Not only was Zero's pulse so close to her mouth, but he was also one of her two most cherished people. Even when she was not injured, she craved his blood.

He was surprised as he saw her pull away, then Zero slowly let her down. She stepped back from him as they exchanged words, and Kaname sighed. She hadn't done it, but Zero's actions indicated that he wouldn't have done much to stop her despite his cold demeanor. In an attempt to inform her of his presence and to communicate his frustrations to the other man who held his lover's affections, he shattered the window. The day's events had been rather tiring, so trusting that she would soon head back to him, he proceeded to fly back to his dog-shaped shadow and wait for her.

Back at the mansion, he laid his actual form down on the lid of the coffin, resting his arm on his forehead, eyes closed. Slowly he drifted off as the simple thought ran through his head: '_She didn't do it...'_'

(Around two hours later...)

The pureblood prince's eyes fluttered open. He sat up, groaning, his mind in a slight fog. He'd fallen asleep, strangely enough. The day had been stressful enough to drain even a vampire to the point he fell asleep outside of normal resting hours. He made his way out the large stone doors and went up the stairs. Heading towards the room he shared with his sister, he smiled slightly, looking forward to holding her. He was also rather thirsty, the thought of her blood causing his mouth to water slightly.

He came to the entrance to their room and pushed open the door. Opening his mouth to greet her, he stopped as he saw that the room was dark and empty, no sign of her presence having even been there since before she'd gone with Aidou the speak to all the other purebloods. Pausing, he took in the situation, still groggy from his nap. It was dark out. Glancing towards the clock by their bed, he read the time. His eyes widened, fists clenched to the point his nails dug into his hand. '_It's been this long and she hasn't come home yet...'_'

He walked to the bed and sat on it, going back to his shadow dog form, which had laid down and appeared to be sleeping on the sidewalk to any passers by since he'd fallen asleep earlier that evening. A bat's form emerged from part of it and hurriedly headed back to the tree he'd perched on earlier to watch her. '_Maybe she went with Aidou somewhere else?'_ he thought to himself. _'Surely she's no longer with Kiryuu.'_

The association came into view and he flew around the side of the building until he found the tree. Landing on a branch, he quickly looked into the room. He froze, both in bat and real form. What he saw flooded him with a number of emotions. _His _Yuuki, her mouth buried against Zero's as he lay above her, the two making love. Since the window had been broken, every moan and gasp could be heard, even her whispering the hunter's name. He choked out a small sob, then let out a growl that turned into a roar as his fist met the mattress he sat on, tearing through the material.

He made the bat turn away, unable to bear watching the act any further, a million things running through his mind as to what he should do. His first thought was to quickly make his way there and stop the two, then tear through the neck of the level D to the point he ripped out the large arteries over and over again til his healing power wasn't fast enough to prevent him from dying of blood loss, however he knew how Yuuki would react to this and, despite his hatred towards the man she was currently in bed with, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her in that way. This realization caused him to chuckle sadly, reminding himself just how much of a masochist he was when it came to making her happy.

He buried his face in his hands as hours that felt like decades passed, eventually commanding his shadow-bat to fly off and disperse into the air. Despite the utter hopelessness he felt now, there was another feeling that she would come back to him, that this was just a temporary fix for her year long withdrawal of not having time with Zero, and strangely enough this gave him a small bit of relief. In the end, even though at this moment her heart was completely focused on another man, it would still return to him. Forcing the rage that had been bubbling inside of him down, he let out a deep sigh, several tears escaping as he tried to wipe his mind of all this until she came back to him.

He asked himself if he should mention it to her, or if he should wait to see what she said. What if she said nothing at all and tried to pretend it never happened? Would he eventually crack and tell her he knew of it, and would it be in anger or sadness?

Leaning back onto the bed, he continued brooding over the day's events, a part of his heart irreparably torn, no matter how things would turn out.

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A little shorter than previous chapters, but I was mostly just trying to get Kaname's point of view out there. Back to Zero next chapter!

PLEASE review, even if you didn't like it. I'm always up for constructive criticism


	12. Chapter 12: Zero

**Author's Notes:** So this chapter would have been released sooner, except that I just couldn't decide how I wanted to start it. I wrote around a thousand words, then decided that's not how I wanted it to start and ended up rewriting it XD Anyway, this is my longest chapter so far. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Zero felt Yuuki tense and heard her breath catch in her throat. Pulling back to look at her, he saw that her eyes were focused on something behind him, wide with what appeared to be fear. He gently gripped her shoulders, watching as she snapped out of her trance, and gave her a look of concern. She shook her head at him, smiling suddenly. "Sorry, I thought I saw something, but it was my just my imagination." He felt her give him a squeeze of reassurance, not completely convinced that she was alright, but also not wanting to think of anymore potentially negative things. He didn't want anything else to sour what time he had left with her. His heart sank a little at that thought, realizing how much the idea of her leaving upset him.

He brought his forehead to hers and caressed her cheek lovingly. Just hours before, he'd been his usual cold self, refusing to let the girl he loved more than anything in. Now it was as if he were a different person, at least around her. Watching her face, he saw her eyes focus on the floor as her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned. "What is it?" he asked quietly. She responded with a heavy sigh, her eyes closing, pulling him close to her. "I should go..." she whispered. A knot formed in his chest. It wasn't like he hadn't been expecting this, in fact he knew that it would happen eventually. Nonetheless, the pain was just as sharp. He kissed her softly, wishing it didn't have to end as she returned the affection.

He became puzzled when after the kiss, she bit into her wrist and held it up to him. "To keep you from getting thirsty for as long as possible, until I can return," she explained. He frowned, averting his gaze, then gently took her wrist to his mouth, placing a small peck on the wound before drinking from her. Despite the pre-emptive longing he was feeling already, he was pleased when he heard her moan at his touch, chuckling inwardly at himself. '_That's right, no matter how long she's with that filthy brother of hers, he will never make her feel like this._' He pulled away after he'd drank his fill, then embraced her.

After several minutes of holding each other, he felt her pull away. Her cheeks were now red from embarrassment, leaving the hunter clueless. "Erm, well A-Aidou, he's probably been outside of the door t-this whole time," she stammered, apparently just now remembering the blond vampire who had accompanied them. He felt his cheeks redden as well. "Right...", he responded, unsure of what to say. "I suppose I should be going, then," she forced out as she turned towards the door.

As she walked away from him, he silently panicked, wracking his brain for anything he needed to say to her before she was gone. "Yuuki.." he choked out in an attempt to get her attention. He watched as she stopped and turned her head to face him questioningly. "Are.. are you going to tell him?" His voice sounded strained as he posed the question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to. She paused, then turned away, her gaze downward. "I haven't been able to figure that out yet," she responded. He felt a jolt through his chest, wondering if he would just end up being her dirty secret, cursing himself as he realized that he'd allow her to do so if she pleased. "However, I do know," she started, as he looked up at her back, "I _will _see you again, Zero." He clenched his fist as his heart jumped when he heard the sincerity in her voice. With that, she walked to the door and opened it, stealing a loving gaze at him before exiting the room.

He stood there as he heard Aidou exclaim something to Yuuki in several harsh whispers, then saw the noble glare at him through opening in the door, his gaze eventually softening as if he sympathized with him. The two then headed out of the building.

…

Zero stood, _Bloody Rose_ in hand, ready to shoot the moment he felt it necessary. The power of the gun was on the brink of breaking free, taking a great bit of determination to keep the vines from shooting forth and enveloping him. His expression was hard, unwavering, as he stared into the fiery, crimson eyes of his enemy. Kaname Kuran returned the hardened stare, his face covered in rage with a hint of deep sorrow.

The hunter was unable to recall just how he had ended up in this situation. He couldn't seem to remember the events leading to this point, why exactly he had the feeling that this would not be like the short fight he had engaged in long before with the pureblood after defeating Rido. No, there was something more sinister in the air this time, a burning hatred that would not back down. Strangely enough, this aura was not emanating from the hunter who had sworn to slay all vampires, but instead was coming directly from the elder brother of the girl they both held so dear. The question was, '_Why?_' He tried to think of anything that could explain what would cause the vampire prince, always so calm and collected even under great amounts of pressure, to lose his composure to such an extent.

The dark-haired vampire seemed to be rapidly growing impatient. Bringing his wrist to his mouth, he slashed into it with his fangs, commanding the blood that poured from the wound to protrude outward into long, incredibly sharp whips. He then took a step forward, paused, then took another, followed by another, slowly closing the gap between the two. Zero knew that he was only looking for an opening, waiting for the hunter to let his guard down for even a second. Taking a defensive stance, he raised his gun and prepared for a quick strike, knowing that the pureblood would be unbelievably fast. Still he could not remember anything prior to this, or why he could sense this murderous intent pouring from his adversary.

As if the other could see the wheels in his head turning, he sped up, lunging in to attack. Zero immediately reacted by jumping to the side and rolling, then getting up on a knee and shooting at the quickly moving target. None of the shots seemed to hit. Instead he felt one of the strings of blood pierce through his right shoulder, causing him to wince. Knowing that his chances wouldn't be very high without the full power of the _Bloody Rose_, he released his hold and allowed the vines to erupt from the gun. The thorns pricked into him, slowly feeding on his blood as sustenance to fuel the powers of the anti-vampire weapon. He commanded them to fly after his target as he continued to shoot, eventually slashing across Kaname's back. Blood shot out, but the vampire didn't go down. He turned and faced the hunter, a slight smirk on his face. The blood pouring from the wound shot up and slowly formed into a scythe-like weapon sticking out from his back. The level D's stomach turned. Things weren't looking good for him, especially when wounding his enemy was like handing him a weapon.

He tensed up, noticing a familiar presence that he hadn't taken note of before. '_Yuuki is nearby._' This thought set off an alarm inside of him. He knew that if she were to come across them, she would do everything in her power to stop it. He opened his mouth to say something to the pureblood, but the expression on the other's face just told him that in this moment, there was nothing he could think of besides taking out that which was the object of his hatred, and that it was clouding his ability to notice his sister was close. Another pause, then a lunge again, the scythe missing and crashing into the ground, then slashing again, cutting off the tip of a few silver strands of hair. The fight continued, the two taking injuries, yet nothing substantial enough to keep them down, determination driving them on.

Zero eventually found himself trying to catch his breath. Falling to a knee, he panted, then felt the eerie warmth of the bloody blade against his neck. Had he lost? He forced himself to look up and glare at Kaname, meeting his cold, hard eyes. Those eyes were not like how they had been, not that he remembered. He had never liked the pureblood, but he at least recalled there being some semblance of warmth in his expression. Throughout this entire fight, there hadn't been a shred of it. Had whatever happened leading up to this really caused him to snap?

He watched as the blade pulled back, readying for the kill. The hunter closed his eyes in frustration, not wanting to accept defeat, yet knowing there was nothing else he could do. The healing of his wounds had slowed over the course of the battle, his fatigue had become too much for him to be able to best the pureblood. Opening his eyes, he decided he would burn his expression into Kaname's memory before he died, so he met the gaze of the other with a look of utter contempt, awaiting the final blow, stubborn til the end. As the blade came down, it was like time slowed almost to a stop. His eyes widened as he watched the following unfold: Yuuki had leapt in front of him, wrapping her arms around him protectively, pressing her lips against his as if to say goodbye. The blade made its way through her, a wall of blood shooting out as it pierced her back in a diagonal motion, cutting right through her heart. "Zero..." he heard the girl whisper his name weakly as her hold on him loosened and she began to slide to the ground.

"YUUKI!" the hunter screamed as he shot upright. Panting, his heart feeling as if it were being crushed, he slowly took in his surroundings. He was in his room, no bloody Yuuki and no Kaname trying to kill him. '_So it had been a nightmare,_' he thought, bringing his hands to his face. He was drenched in sweat, his bedding soaked through. '_It all felt so real, though,_' he argued to himself. Even the wounds felt like they were actually being inflicted upon him. '_I could even smell her blood all around me when..._' he stopped at that thought, not desiring to recall the horrible image of his loved one's broken body slumping over in front of him.

He didn't want to sleep on the soaked side of the bed, so he rolled to the dry side and laid his head on the pillow. He could smell where she had been sleeping earlier that day, and smiled softly, remembering the intimacy and passion they had shared. Forcing himself to keep that image in mind, he slowly drifted off, hoping for happier dreams to come.

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SO, not a whole lot happened, but it's always building up to something. Anywho, hope you liked. Review please if you have any feedback, good or bad :)


	13. Chapter 13: Yuuki

**Author's Notes:** SO SO SO sorry about how long it took me to update! Been dealing with life as well as writer's block. I think I spent a month working on this chapter very slowly. It is, however, my longest one yet, so that's at least good. Hope you all enjoy :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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Yuuki exited the hunters' association, Aidou following closely behind, recalling the evening with Zero as well as worrying about the bat she had seen. She'd been unable to sense Kaname's presence, and he never came to fetch her after the bat flew off, so she was confused as to whether or not it had actually been her elder brother. Her suspicions led her to believe it had been, but there was a part of her that strongly hoped it was just a normal bat and that he hadn't witnessed anything.

She walked up a flight of stairs to find the familiar shadow dog laying down where she'd left it before. It's head perked up and ears twitched as it heard her approach, and she watched as it stood and headed towards her, nuzzling her hand with it's face. She forced a small smile and leaned down to hug it. "I'm coming home. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt anymore," she whispered, placing her hand where her wound had been previously. It looked at her as if to affirm that it understood what she had said, then dispersed into dozens of bats that promptly flew off. She looked back at Aidou who just shrugged at her and said nothing, frustration as well as puzzlement shown in his expression. "I guess we should get going, then," she sighed as they continued on.

…

Yuuki saw the mansion slowly coming into view. The clearer it got, the more anxious she felt. She missed Kaname, but at the same time was concerned that he already knew of what happened. '_Even if he doesn't already know, I have to tell him somehow. I would feel horrible if I kept this from him._' She closed her eyes and leaned back into her seat, her coat scrunched up in her hands. She opened her eyes several minutes later to find Aidou meeting her gaze from the seat across from her, a slight scowl on his face.

"Something on your mind?" he asked quietly. Yuuki averted her gaze to back out the window, frowning, unsure of how to reply. She heard him sigh in response to her lack of an answer. He would be concerned for both her and Kaname, and wouldn't want to see either of them hurting, yet in this situation it was unavoidable. The princess stayed in her castle, her prince usually off on business, and missed her knight, her Zero, while she was alone. Even when she had been faithful and loving to Kaname, she was still unhappy. Acting on her feelings for Zero helped in making herself happy, at the same time being something that would in turn hurt Kaname, and going back to Kaname would hurt Zero. Not everyone could win in this situation. It troubled her, but she forced herself to accept that it was inevitable. The hardest part of all was how to tell him. Or perhaps it would be seeing his reaction. She shook her head, twirling several strands of hair around her finger as they pulled up in front of the castle, this inner conflict causing a knot to form in her chest.

Aidou exited first, holding the door open and putting a hand out to help her down. She smiled awkwardly at him as she took his hand, still not used to the formality of how the students she had known from the night class started treating her once they learned of who she truly was. Carefully she put one foot on the ground, followed by the other, sighed again, then looked forward at the large doors leading into her supposed home. It felt as if there was an invisible weight tied to her ankles, for as she tried to step forward towards the doors, she couldn't seem to do it. '_Don't be silly, you have to face him one way or another. One foot in front of the other, it isn't hard..._' she chided herself. Finally her feet began to give way and she headed up the stairs to the door, Aidou close behind her. She didn't even want to know what was on that mind of his. Back at the hunters' association, she hadn't the courage to ask him if he had heard anything, knowing how unlikely it was that he hadn't. Besides, the face he'd given her when she came out of the room seemed to communicate enough of his frustration and confusion. Aidou was one of Kaname's right hand men, and she hoped that he allowed her to inform her brother of what happened instead of taking it upon himself.

The doors were pushed open and she entered the mansion, feeling as if it had been a long while since she'd been here, even though it had barely been a day. She forced herself to calm her breathing and started searching for Kaname's presence. It didn't take long til she felt it. '_Of course he's in our room. I won't even be able to change out of these clothes.._'. She felt her face flush several shades of red, thinking back to just why she'd want to at least change her undergarments. Walking down a long hall, she passed several doors until the one she was looking for came into view. It was open just a few inches, and the room inside appeared to be dark. Quietly she pushed it open and peeked inside, looking around the room til she spotted Kaname laying on their bed. He had fallen asleep fully clothed, save for his shoes, his shirt not completely buttoned, hair a bit of a mess. It seemed very unusual of him to be unkempt, yet she found it rather cute.

Tip toeing into the room towards the large wardrobe on the far wall, she opened the door and pulled out some clean clothes, then headed for the bathroom as quickly as possible. She would scrub and scrub until she was absolutely sure there was no scent of Zero on her, it would be awful if he realized what had happened before she even told him because he could smell another vampire on her. She carefully undressed, throwing the dirty clothes into the elevator hamper that went down towards the laundry room, then turned on the shower water, stepping in immediately. It was cold, the sensation sending goosebumps along her skin, causing her to shiver. She let the cold water run for a minute before turning the heat on, her mind a jumble of images and memories and sensations, of Zero's bite, his kiss, how it had felt when their bodies became one. The taste of blood filled her mouth as she realized she'd been biting her lip. If she didn't stop thinking like this, she'd be running off to see Zero again as soon as she could escape the mansion for a few hours.

Forcing herself from her thoughts, she washed her long hair. Her shampoo smelled of lilac, something she had bought because the smell reminded her of the color, and the color reminded her of eyes that she had missed dearly. When she had picked out the scent, she'd felt a tinge of guilt knowing that Kaname could probably put two and two together. Of course, he didn't say anything, he never protested, always accepting of her little whims. Unfortunately this new "whim" probably wouldn't be considered little. Once she was done bathing, she sat herself down on the shower floor, letting the water wash over her, blanking her mind of any worry for this short moment. She started to doze off eventually, her chin resting on her knees, and shook her head to wake up, then stood and turned off the water. Maybe she could crawl into bed with Kaname without waking him up, then they would both be freshly rested before she would have to find a way to tell him.

She opened the shower door and reached out to grab the towel, then stepped out of the shower. When she looked up, two reddish-brown eyes met her gaze as she noticed her brother leaning against the frame of the bathroom door, a small smile on his face as he looked at her. "Welcome home," he said. It took her a moment to realize that she was completely naked, and she yelped, throwing the towel around herself. Her cheeks felt hot as she avoided his gaze. "I can't enjoy the sight of my own fiance?" she heard him say, chuckling under his breath. He stepped towards her, his hand gently lifting her chin. Her eyes met his again and she searched for any sign that he knew, finding none, then sighed. '_Maybe I was imagining things back then.._' She leaned forward and put her arms around his waist, hugging him gently. "It's just that I'm not used to you seeing me like that," she responded, her cheeks reddening again. His expression seemed to change for a split second, and she tried desperately to read it, but it was gone too quickly, replaced by his usual soft smile.

He pressed his lips to hers and she stiffened, then relaxed and returned the kiss. She felt one of his hands run through her hair, the other caressing her neck. He pulled back just barely, the tip of his nose touching hers. "You must be hungry," he whispered, "you were gone for a day and haven't fed in a while". She averted her gaze from his, realizing that this would be true if she hadn't drank from Zero earlier that day, trying to figure out how to respond. Without saying anything, she leaned up to the artery in his neck and laid a gentle kiss on it. He pulled back from her, stepping towards the room, motioning for her to follow. She grasped the towel to her and walked with him to their bed where he laid on his back, pulling her down to him, then leaned his head to the side so she could have easy access. Pausing, she looked at him, his eyes closed as he waited for her, then leaned forward and pressed into his neck with her fangs.

She could feel one of his hands caressing her back, the other buried in her hair and heard him gasp. His blood poured into her mouth, followed by thoughts and images here and there, and suddenly strong emotion: hurt, distress, confusion, betrayal. Images of something looking in through a window at a man and a woman making love. '_Who..? Oh no, is that..?_'Her eyes shot open and she pulled back from him, blood running down her chin. She didn't know what to say, so she just sat there and watched as he continued to lay on his back, his eyes closed. '_It _was_ him, of course it was, how could I honestly think..?_'

After several minutes of silence, she saw him run his hand through his hair, then sit up. As he looked at her, his expression was no longer the familiar soft smile, but instead a mixture of things, none of them good. "So the bat.. it _was_ you.." she stammered out, a massive knot suddenly forming in her chest. He said nothing as he leaned over her, his face going from angry, to sad, then back again. He leaned against her until her back was against the bedsheets, his lips grazing her cheek, then stopped at her neck. "You still smell of him.." he whispered, sounding hurt. "His blood, you're full of it." She was stiff under him, feeling the towel slowly removed from her but too upset to be embarrassed about him seeing her this time. His hand ran across her bare stomach, nails grazing her side, causing her to shiver. Then she felt his fangs pierce her flesh and gasped...

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I apologize if the ending seems a bit abrupt, but I wanted to switch PoV's. So next chapter will be from Kaname's PoV. Please review, whether you liked it or not, all feedback is appreciated!


	14. Chapter 14: Kaname

**Notes: **I am SO sorry it's taken me ages to update. Honestly I'd have to say it's because I've actually been getting a pretty good Zeki fix from the manga, and the story is kind of going... well, at least more in the direction I'd like. Of course, chapter 88 has me going WTF, but I'll not say anything more about that in case any of you haven't read it :p I'm having trouble figuring out which direction I want to take this story in - whether I want to adapt Kaname's actions to what he's doing in the manga currently and just write interactions the way I would like them to happen, or just go in my own direction entirely. Seeing as this started in chapter 60, and the manga is almost 30 chapters past that... I'm just really unsure of what to do XD

Anyway, this chapter is fairly short, so I apologize - I just didn't have much to write from Kaname's point of view since really my interest lies in the feelings of Zero and Yuuki.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in it, these all belong to the wonderful Matsuri Hino.

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'_Zero.. Zero.. Zero!_'

An overwhelming rush of thoughts of the hunter and every emotion Yuuki had felt during her encounter with him flooded Kaname's mind. He could feel the longing, passion, ecstasy that she had felt, nearly causing him to retch. Almost as quickly as he had bitten her, he pulled himself away, making no attempt to clean up the small mess of blood on his face. He sat on the edge of the bed, trying to gather himself. The pain in his chest was staggering.

'_I'm losing her..._' he thought, unable to look in her direction, his right hand clutching the left breast of his shirt. From the corner of his vision, he saw that she hadn't moved - she remained on her back, eyes wide, fingers buried in the blanket at her sides. The pureblood found himself unable to think clearly, his mind fuzzy from having been forced to see and feel the evening's events from his sister's point of view.

There was a rage deep within, the part of him that was still harassed by Rido, telling him to just lock her up like the little bird his uncle had spoken of to him earlier that day and to mercilessly tear her other lover to pieces. Every muscle and sinew in his body screamed at him to go, find the hunter and crush rip his heart from his chest. An image of Yuuki hunched over on the ground in tears passed through his mind, causing his heart to ache even more. '_I would only succeed in driving her further from me.._'

Both remained silent for a length of time he did not know. Eventually he mustered up the will to look at her, and saw that she had dozed off, remnants of tears left on her cheeks. Her flesh was still bare, and he let his eyes roam over her form for only a moment, before he stood and pulled one of the blankets over her, his melancholy gaze stopping to observe her face.

'_What deceptive beings we appear as,_'' he brooded silently, '_you would never know by looking at this porcelain face the power that this small girl holds.. not only her pureblood strength, but her hold over myself, the "King of Vampires"..._'

There was no helping the feeling of defeat that now washed over him; Yuuki would continue to have his undying affection, and Kiryu, '_the bastard that defiled my butterfly.._' would once again be allowed to live. He had taken what was meant to be his, that precious moment that he was waiting for the perfect time to engage her in, as well as her innocence. It was really as if she couldn't even look at him as someone she could share that intimacy with - she squirmed whenever he caught a glimpse of her in her undergarments, not to mention when she wasn't wearing anything. He didn't doubt that she loved him, he knew she did, the only thing he questioned was the manner of that love - perhaps he was just family to her, someone she'd had childish admiration for, and Zero was the one she desired to be her lover.

He made his way out of her room, pausing once to glance back at her as she slept, and sighed painfully as he closed the door behind him. This would be another one of those times where he refused to let anyone see him, locked away in his room to face the demons that surfaced whenever something like this happened. He also had a lot of thinking to do regarding whether he would go on pretending this had never happened, or what his course of action would be to deal with it.

Seiren was of course behind him immediately upon his exit of Yuuki's room, and he informed her to make sure he was undisturbed by anyone, including his sister, until given further notice. She nodded and bowed, making her leave as he entered his room. He found his way to his bed, and without bothering to undress, laid down, not looking forward to the days ahead and decisions he had to make.

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Remember! Feedback is always appreciated, so please feel free to leave any reviews :3 (hopefully it won't take me a year and a half again to get the next chapter out)


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